Fast, Easy DIY Vampire Cape

Fast, Easy DIY Vampire Cape

Need to make a last minute costume? This is a quick and super easy cape to make. Perfect for super heros, villains, vampires, witches, etc! Materials: (change the color and material of fabric to fit your costume needs!)

  • 1 yd red satin (1 1/2 yd for adults)
  • 1 yd dark brown cotton (1 1/2 yd for adults)
  • 2 yd red cord
  • 4" x 14" heavy stabilizer (found at your local craft/fabric shop)
  • Pins
  • Thread
  1. Lay the fabric on top of each other, right sides together.
  2. Using the stabilizer, cut out the collar (mine was 4" x 14") like above, leaving an arch where it will rest on the shoulders.
  3. Center the collar on the fabric, width wise, about 1/2" from top edge. Pin in place.
  4. Cut the fabric along the sides of collar and out to the edge of the fabric, leaving 1/2" seam allowance, as seen above. Pin around the edges of cape.
  5. Pin the cord along the bottom edge of the collar. Now, tuck the cord between the two pieces of fabric, as seen in picture.
  6. Sew all around the edge of the cape, leaving 1/2" seam allowance. Leave about 6" unsewn on the bottom edge of the cape. Be sure not to sew over the loose cord. Only sew over the cord at the two points on either end of the collar.
  7. Turn the cape inside out. Press the edges of the cape including the 6" of unsewn seam, making sure the edges are tucked under, then put one or two pins in that seam.
  8. Topstitch around the edges of the cape, this will secure the 6" unsewn seam and provide more strength and structure.
Wa-la! Enjoy! I'd love to hear how yours turned out!
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19 comments

I should have commented awhile ago, but I used your instructions to make my kids capes about 3 years ago, I am about to make a third cape for a friend’s son.. I did make one alteration.. other than omitting the fusible fabric (because i’m lazy) but i used the part i cut out to make the collar to make my own “cord” .. it was cheaper then going out and buying cord. Anyways, my kids love their capes, they still use them for dressup

Stephanie

Great, I’m so glad! Thanks for sharing!

Shannon Brinkley

Thank you for this guidance on how to make a cape. I have this past weekend made one according to this. It turned put very well despite my very limited skills with a sewing maschine. And it was required to be easy and fast as I only last thursday evening that I realized that they celebrate halloween on my son’s School on the 25th ;)

And next weekend my youngest has requested a cape like Elsa, so my daugther and I are now planning to shop fabric.

S. Pleman

Hi, I seem to have missed out a little detail which I realize only after completing the cape. The collar shape actually curves upwards. I made it straight and it didn’t sit very well on the shoulders and kept falling backwards. Would that be one of the reasons for it?

Lana

When I said collar, I meant the bottom part of the stabilizer.. that was the curve which I had left out and did a straight line across instead.

Lana

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